S20 Pro Sample Images

Review First Posted: 04/27/2004

Digital Cameras - Fujifilm Finepix S20 Pro Test Images

I've begun including links in our reviews to a Thumber-generated
index page for the test shots. The Thumber data includes a host of information
on the images, including shutter speed, ISOsetting, compression setting,
etc. Rather than clutter the page below with *all*that detail, we're posting
the Thumber index so only those interested inthe information need wade through
it!

Accurate color and saturation, with a good exposure as well. High
resolution, but high image noise in the shadows.

The extreme tonal range of this image makes it a tough shot for many
digicams, which is precisely why I set it up this way, and why I shoot
it with no fill flash or reflector to open the shadows. The object is
to hold both highlight and shadow detail without producing a "flat"
picture with muddy colors, and the Finepix S20 Pro did a great job here.

The shot at right was taken with a +0.3 EV exposure
compensation adjustment, less than this shot usually requires. The shot
is a bit contrasty, but midtone detail is pretty good. The S20
Pro's Auto, Daylight,
and Manual white balance settings all produced
great color here, but I chose the Manual setting as the most accurate
overall.

Skin tones are appealing, but a bit more pink than in real life. (In
actuality, I've found that most people seem to like this look better than
a more accurate, neutral rendering, feeling that it looks more "healthy."
Each person will have to decide this for themself though. I personally
would like just a hint less pink, but given the choice between this and
a more technically accurate skin tone, would probably choose this.) The
blue flowers in the bouquet look very good as well. (Many digicams have
trouble with this blue, often producing strong purple tints, but the S20
Pro gets it just about right.) Color looks great elsewhere in the frame,
with good saturation, although the red flowers are quite hot and oversaturated.
Resolution is high, with strong detail even in the shadow areas, but image
noise is moderately high.

Highlight Detail - The "SR" Advantage?The S20Pro uses Fuji's "SR" sensor technology, combining
normal- and low-sensitivity sensor elements to create a sensor capable
of preserving more highlight detail than conventional approaches. The
SR technology has been a bit controversial, with some reviewers reporting
that they see no difference between it and ordinary CCDs. I go into the
reasons for this in my main review, but this shot here is an example of
the sort of subject that the SR sensor was specifically made to handle,
with enough strong highlight detail to trigger the use of the low-sensitivity
sensor data.

To show the difference between the SR technology and a conventional CCD's,
I've cropped portions of this image shot with the S20Pro and the Olympus
C-8080 and shown the results side by side below.

Note that these were shot within a few minutes of each other, so the
lighting is essentially identical between the two of them. The folds of
Marti's shirt are positioned slightly differently, so specific areas of
the image may not correlate exactly between the two shots. You can definitely
see areas with the same shading though, and I've highlighted an area in
each shot that not only has the same lighting, but that shows an excellent
example of white-on-white detail as well. Note too, that I selected shots
that were exposed the same by both cameras, as evidenced by the brightness
of the wall behind Marti. - Comparing the same area in both images, the
average brightness matched to within two luminance units (197 for the
S20Pro vs 195 for the C-8080). This tells us that any differences we might
see in the highlight detail is not influenced by the overall exposure
level.

In the comparison images below, I first show the crops exactly as they
came from the camera, and then after an extreme "levels" adjustment
in Adobe Photoshop(tm). (The shadow slider was pushed up to a level of
150.) The purpose of this adjustment was to bring the extreme highlight
detail down into a range that's easy to see on a typical CRT. (This is
an example of detail that is much more readily apparent in a print than
onscreen, on a CRT.) - Click on either image to see a full-sized view
(1:1 as it came from the camera).

Side by side crops from the Olympus C-8080 (left) and Fuji S20 Pro (right)
Unaltered, exactly as they came from the camera.

The result is clear, but perhaps needs a little interpretation to clarify
what we're looking at. There's no question that the S20 Pro maintains
detail in some of the strongest highlights, as we can clearly see in
the way that it preserved detail in the seam of Marti's blouse outlined
above. It also keeps more of the subtle shading in the ripples of the
blouse. Looking at the 8080 image though, it might be tempting to conclude
that it has more detail, as wrinkles in the shirt can be seen
more obviously. When you look at the strongest highlight areas though,
it's clear that the 8080 image blows out to pure white, while the S20's
maintains smooth gradations.

So why is are the wrinkles more obvious on the 8080's shot? Part of
the reason is that the images were shot a few minutes apart, so some
of the same elements just aren't present in the S20's image. The greater
reason though, has to do with how the two cameras have "allocated"
their tonal range. Because the 8080 has allowed the strongest highlights
to blow out, it has more tonal range (and hence more contrast) available
to render the detail in the wrinkles. The S20 on the other hand, in
order to preserve a smooth rendering of the very strong highlight detail
has to roll off the contrast in the brightest areas of the image. This
is exactly what film does, with the "S" shape of its density
vs exposure curve.

Bottom line, the S20 Pro with its SR sensor clearly preserves more
highlight detail than do cameras with conventional CCD sensors. As noted
in the main review though, many reviewers haven't seen this simply because
they're not looking at images that would cause SR-based cameras (at
this point, only the S20 Pro and the earlier F700) to start using data
from the low-sensitivity sensor elements.

To view the entire exposure series from zero to +1.0 EV, see files S20OUTMP0.HTM
through S20OUTMP3.HTM on the thumbnail index page.

Good resolution with strong detail, but a little
noisy. Good exposure and color.

This close-up shot was taken with the S20 Pro's default
exposure setting, which resulted in a similar exposure to the wider shot
above. Midtone detail is fairly strong, as is detail in the brightest
highlights, further evidence of the benefit of Fuji's SR technology. The
camera's 6x zoom lens prevents any geometric distortion of Marti's features,
a concern in close-up portraits like this one. Overall resolution and
detail are much higher here, especially in Marti's face and hair. However,
image noise is moderately high, particularly in the shadow areas, which
obscures definition of the finer details.

To view the entire exposure series from -0.3 to +0.7 EV, see files S20FACAM1.HTM
through S20FACAP2.HTM on the thumbnail index page.

Good intensity and coverage with the built-in flash, with nearly accurate
color.

The S20 Pro's built-in flash illuminated the subject pretty well at its
default exposure setting, although I preferred
a +0.3 EV exposure compensation adjustment
for the main shot. Overall color is quite good, though the background
incandescent lighting results in a slight orange cast on the background,
which also spills onto Marti's features and shirt. Still, color is believable
and bright, with pretty good accuracy even in the blue flowers. (They're
slightly dark and purplish, but still quite good for this shot and the
difficult lighting.) The camera's Slow-Sync flash
mode also produced good results, though with a stronger orange cast.
Even though the exposure is slightly longer here, I still preferred a
+0.3 EV exposure compensation adjustment.

To view the entire flash exposure series from -0.7
to +0.7 EV, see files S20INFM2.HTM through S20INFP2.HTM on thethumbnail index page.

To view the same exposure series in Slow-Sync mode,
see files S20INFSM2.HTM through S20INFSP2.HTM on thethumbnail
index page.

Great color with the Manual white balance option (surprisingly good
with Auto too), good exposure as well.

This shot is always a very tough test of a camera's white balance capability,
given the strong, yellowish color cast of the household incandescent bulbs
used for the lighting. The S20 Pro's Auto and
Incandescent white balance settings both produced
slightly warm-looking images, but were within the realm of what I'd consider
acceptable, but the Manual setting produced
really excellent results. Overall color is pretty good, if slightly cool,
with good skin tones. The blue flowers are dark and purplish, but that's
to be expected with this difficult light source. The shot at right was
taken with a +1.0 EV exposure compensation adjustment, which is about
average for this shot.

To view the exposure series from zero to +1.7 EV, see files S20INTP0.HTM
through S20INTP5.HTM on the thumbnail index page.

ISO Series:

The S20 Pro's lowest noise levels are generally higher than on competing
cameras, thanks in large part to a minimum ISO value of 200. That said,
noise levels aren't that bad at the 400 and 800 settings. At ISO 1,600,
the camera averages the data from adjacent pixels to reduce noise in exchange
for a smaller image size. The results aren't bad, but image detail is
compromised even beyond what you'd expect from the reduced pixel count.

Accurate color with the Manual white balance setting, and good resolution,
though details are a little blocky-looking in the fine foliage.

The S20 Pro's Auto white balance setting
produced just slightly warm results here, but the Manual
option produced the most accurate white value and overall color. The Daylight
setting was warm. Resolution is pretty high for what's essentially a 3
megapixel sensor (there are 6 million active sensors, but they're processed
in groups of two, so the net resolution is that of a sensor with 3 million
pixel locations), though details in the tree limbs and front shrubbery
appear somewhat pixelated and ridden with artifacts. These are the result
of the interpolation used with SuperCCD sensors. Oddly, as evident as
this is on-screen, prints from SuperCCD cameras tend to look sharper than
images from conventional cameras with the same pixel resolution. The image
is fairly sharp from corner to corner, with only slight softness visible
along the left side.

Decent resolution, but with low definition, and only moderate dynamic
range.

This image is shot at infinity to test far-field
lens performance. NOTE that this image cannot be directly compared to
the other "house" shot, which is a poster, shot in the studio.
The rendering of detail in the poster will be very different than in this
shot, and color values (and even the presence or absence of leaves on
the trees!) will vary in this subject as the seasons progress. In general
though, you can evaluate detail in the bricks, shingles and window detail,
and in the tree branches against the sky. Compression artifacts are most
likely to show in the trim along the edge of the roof, in the bricks,
or in the relatively "flat" areas in the windows.

This is my ultimate "resolution shot,"
given the infinite range of detail in a natural scene like this, and the
S20 Pro captures pretty good detail, for a camera having what's basically
a 3-megapixel array. However, details in the fine foliage, as well as
in the tree limbs over the roof, appear blurry and less defined than the
more linear details of the house front. In-camera sharpening is consistent
throughout the frame, and there's virtually no falloff in sharpness in
the corners, indicating a good-quality lens. The camera picks up moderate
detail in the bright white paint surrounding the bay window, which is
a difficult area for many digicams, but the shadow area above the front
door shows less detail and higher noise. (Fuji's SR technology helps a
little in this shot, but the low percentage of strong highlights in the
scene as a whole doubtless results in relatively little of the low-sensitivity
sensor data being used.) Overall color is very good, with very appropriate
saturation levels and accurate hue. The table below shows a standard resolution
and quality series, followed by ISO, sharpness, color, and white balance
series.

I routinely shoot this series of images to show the field of view for
each camera, with the lens at full wide angle, at maximum telephoto (6x,
in this case), and at full telephoto with the digital zoom enabled. The
S20 Pro's lens is equivalent to a 35-210mm zoom on a 35mm camera. That
corresponds to a moderate wide angle to a pretty substantial telephoto.
Following are the results at each zoom setting.

Near accurate color with the Manual white balance, good resolution
and detail as well.

This shot is often a tough test for digicams, as the abundance of blue
in the composition frequently tricks white balance systems into producing
a warm color balance. The S20 Pro's Manual
white balance setting produced the best, most accurate color here, despite
a slight magenta tint. The Auto and Daylight
settings were tricked by the large amount of blue in the image, and produced
warm color casts, but not to any extreme extent. The magenta tint gives
the blue background a purplish tint, also noticeable in the deep shadows
of the blue robe. Resolution is high, with good detail in the embroidery
of the blue robe. Detail is also good in the beaded necklaces and instrument
strings, though details are again somewhat fuzzy.

The S20 Pro did exceptionally well in the macro category, capturing a
minimum area of only 1.12 x 0.84 inches (28 x 21 millimeters). Resolution
is excellent in the printed details of the dollar bill. (The brooch is
soft due to the short shooting distance.) There's a lot of softness in
all four corners of the frame, but strongest along the left side of the
frame. This is unfortunately very common in digicam macro shots, the result
of curvature of field at very short focal distances. The very close shooting
range also renders the flash ineffective, and the exposure is somewhat
uneven from the lens shadow as well. (A ring-light would be in order here,
for the best lighting, but plan in any case on using external lighting
for macro shots with the S20 Pro.)

Accurate color, but a slight overexposure and higher than average
image noise.

The S20 Pro's Auto and Daylight
white balance settings both produced warm images, while the Manual
setting produced a more accurate white value and good-looking color. The
S20 overexposed the image slightly, but it still managed to distinguish
the subtle tonal variations of the pastel swatches in the Q60 target.
The bright exposure also left the white color block with a slight halo.
(Lens flare?) The large color blocks are just about perfect, but the minor
overexposure contributes to a similarly slight reduction in saturation.
The shadow area of the charcoal briquettes has moderate detail, but with
higher noise than I'd expect from a camera of this caliber. (Why, oh why
won't Fuji give us lower ISO settings on their cameras? Many photographers
would like the option to trade off ISO speed in order to get lower image
noise.)

Good low-light performance, with good color and clarity even at the
darkest light levels.

The S20 Pro produced clear, bright, usable images down to the 1/16 foot-candle
(0.67 lux) limit of my test at all four ISO settings. Color was good in
most cases, though the dimmer shots had a warm color balance. The S20
Pro handles noise fairly well here, with reasonable levels at the 200
and 400 ISO settings. At ISOs 800 and 1,600, noise is much higher, as
you might expect, and at ISO 1,600, the camera forces a smaller file size
(1,280 x 960), as it averages data from adjacent pixels to help reduce
noise. The table below shows the best exposure I was able to obtain for
each of a range of illumination levels. Images in this table (like all
sample photos) are untouched, exactly as they came from the camera.

(Note: If you'd like to use a light meter to check light levels
for subjects you might be interested in shooting, a light level of one
foot-candle corresponds to a normal exposure of two seconds at F/2.8
and ISO 100.)

1fc
11lux

1/2fc
5.5lux

1/4fc
2.7lux

1/8fc
1.3lux

1/16fc
0.67lx

ISO
200

1.3 sec
f2.8

2.5 sec
f2.8

8 sec
f2.8

15 sec
f2.8

25 sec
f2.8

ISO
400

1/1 sec
f2.8

1.3 sec
f2.8

4 sec
f2.8

8 sec
f2.8

13 sec
f2.8

ISO
800

1/3 sec
f2.8

1/1 sec
f2.8

1.5 sec
f2.8

4 sec
f2.8

6.5 sec
f2.8

ISO
1,600
(Small
file)

1/6 sec
f2.8

1/3 sec
f2.8

1/1 sec
f2.8

2 sec
f2.8

3 sec
f2.8

Flash Range Test

A very powerful flash, with good intensity and practically no falloff
at the 14 foot limit of our test.

In my testing, the flash illuminated the test target very well, all the
way out to 14 feet without any significant decrease in intensity. The
flash is very strong, and exposures were almost too bright. Below is the
flash range series, with distances from eight to 14 feet from the target.

High resolution (for a 3 million element array), 1,300 lines of "strong
detail." Low barrel distortion, but higher than average pincushion.

The S20 Pro performed well on the "laboratory" resolution test
chart, considering that it really has only 3 million "resolution
elements" in its array. (It has 6 million sensors, but they're paired,
so there are actually only 3 million discrete imaging locations on the
array surface.) It started showing artifacts in the test patterns at resolutions
as low as 750 lines per picture height, in both horizontal and vertical
directions. I found "strong detail" out to at least 1,300 lines.
"Extinction" of the target patterns didn't occur until about
1,600 lines.

Optical distortion on the S20 Pro is lower than average at the wide-angle
end, where I measured approximately 0.5 percent barrel distortion. The
telephoto end fared much worse, as I measured 0.7 percent pincushion distortion.
Chromatic aberration is quite high, showing nine or more pixels of fairly
strong coloration on either side of the target lines. (This distortion
is visible as a very slight colored fringe around the objects at the edges
of the field of view on the resolution target.) I also noticed some softness
in the corners of a few shots, but it was for the most part pretty minimal
(with the exception of the macro shot, which had much stronger distortion,
not unexpected for an ultra-macro image).

The S20 Pro's electronic "optical" viewfinder (EVF) is very
accurate, showing 99+ percent frame accuracy at both wide angle and
telephoto zoom settings. The LCD monitor is also very accurate, since
it shows the same view, just on a larger screen. Given that I like LCD
monitors to be as close to 100 percent accuracy as possible, the S20
Pro's LCD monitor is essentially perfect in that regard. Flash distribution
is fairly even at wide angle, with just a little falloff at the corners
and edges of the frame. At telephoto, flash distribution is more uniform,
though with a slight hot spot at the center of the frame.